Friends of West Norwood Cemetery

Friends of West Norwood Cemetery (FOWNC)

FOWNC aims to increase knowledge and appreciation of West Norwood Cemetery. We hold general tours on the first Sunday of every month, special themed tours of the cemetery during the summer, and meetings with talks during the winter. There are details of these tours and talks in our programme of events.

We publish three newsletters a year, and are starting to produce our own booklets on notable people buried in the cemetery. As a registered charity we aim to raise funds for conservation work, and to encourage other organisations and individuals to make contributions.

Sir William Tite (1798-1873) designed the arch at the main entrance. It is Grade II listed and carries the inscription ‘South Metropolitan Cemetery Incorporated AD MDCCCXXXVI’ with shields bearing the arms of the dioceses of Winchester and Canterbury. The pedestrian entrance features a crown and a scroll with inscriptions of ‘Deus Deo’ and ‘1837’.

Through our efforts, numerous monuments have been repaired or more substantially restored during the past decade, and an extensive programme of works directed by Lambeth Council is currently under way.